49 members follow Soulless DCLXVI
- Steve Miner
- Tie RoamingHooves
- Inferno demon Dash
- Pyro The Faithful Reader
- Meta Knight
- Kear-skof Tyre
- Omior Falroc
- spirit shin
- shadow dawn
- A Follower
- The Madman108
- Mortos Der SoulStealer
- Lise Eclaire
- Perfectly Insane
Soulless DCLXVI follows 51 members
- Tie RoamingHooves
- The Rarispy
- Dennis the Menace
- Wages of Sin
- Inara Seraph
- Aegis Shield
- Silent Bob
- spirit shin
- shadow dawn
- Literary Sins
- Mortos Der SoulStealer
Unidentified 'Trope'? · 3:19am
[EXAMPLES INCLUDED AT THE END]
There is a certain kind of story that I love. But I've yet to find any name for the trope, or genre, or whatever it is that connects the stories. This is a problem as it makes looking for more stories like this a real chore. It surprises me that the connection doesn't exist considering the litany of fairly specific tropes you can find on TVTropes.com.
Now, onto the trope (I'm not even confident it qualifies as a "trope", really, but it's the best word I've got for it.) I'm calling it, for now, "Secret Species."
The name comes from secret societies. However, unlike those, the behaviours and cultures exhibited by the individuals in these groups oft come from a different biology, odd circumstances, or they come from, or lived in, an extremely different location (extraterrestrial, extradimensional, extratemporal), as opposed to differing ideology.
These groups are often non humans hiding among humans. Though sometimes the opposite can be true. Usually these people have more power in one way or another over those in the larger society in which they hide. Naturally, most modern vampire and werewolf stories fit in to this Secret Species 'trope'. However power is not a necessary part of that 'trope', merely a common occurrence in it.
Similarly, in some circumstances, the hiding isn't necessary either.
In most of these stories the main character(s) see themselves inducted from the larger species into the smaller. Though sometimes the entire subspecies came from the larger.
Most of the time if it is a group of individuals with less than five people, it does not count, wiping most HIEs out of the equation. HIEs that include five or more people but remain completely human and make no effort to hide themselves are also out.
This is the best I can do to describe it, but it's not quite accurate. In a few cases some of the above is quite untrue for some of the following examples and yet I feel that that each one of the following fits in this, previously unnamed, 'trope'. My hope is that by writing this blog and grouping what stories I can think that fit, perhaps together we can identify this thing. If you think you have a story that fits, then please, by all means, suggest it. It may not fit after all but that will help too. The more stories I can say are and are not qualified, the closer I'll be to identifying just what it is about these stories, and find more like 'em.
Some examples of this 'trope':
Stories in the PonyEarthVerse
"'You bucking let him go or I’m going to sheer off your horn, break your legs, and leave you to the wolves!' I screamed at the phone" - Man, without thinking, refers to pony biology in a 5s/4 side fic. Can't Stop Now by PingSquirrel
Stories that need a whole hell of a lot more love - Last Updated March 17th 2015
- The Renegades In a time without hope, without law, and without mercy, ten unlikely heroes had the courage to do what was right. A Marvel x DC x MLP/FIM crossover like never before. 37,241 words · 612 views · 41 likes · 6 dislikes
- I Just Don't Know What Went Wrong... What happens when an alicorn spell goes horribly wrong? 2,611 words · 434 views · 15 likes · 0 dislikes
- Derpy Meets The Doctor The humble mailmare of Ponyville wakes up one day to go to work. A nice, normal, everyday sort of day...until that day, and her world, changed forever..... 91,663 words · 1,971 views · 82 likes · 3 dislikes
- Equestrian human You all know Lyra Heartstrings. You all know of the unicorn that obsesses over Humans to the point of mimicing them. But how much do you really know about this pony? 36,694 words · 1,516 views · 50 likes · 6 dislikes
- Twi Am Legend When Celestia vanishes, everypony but Twilight Sparkle is turned into a vampire. She fights to survive in the ruin of Canterlot, until she's forced to leave. In the country town of Ponyville, a surprise awaits that will shatter her worldview forever. 11,675 words · 1,215 views · 95 likes · 6 dislikes
Top Favourites - Last Updated February 27th 2014
- Oh to be Old Again What happens when a middle age brony wakes up in the body of a foal? And when no one believes him? 132,600 words · 30,200 views · 3,800 likes · 119 dislikes
- Five Score, Divided by Four As a fan of the show, I always loved Rainbow Dash and her cutie mark, but I never wanted it to appear on my leg! Now that it has, all sorts of things are getting weird around here. I'm a guy, not a mare! Cartoon ponies aren't real... right? 285,557 words · 29,289 views · 3,380 likes · 171 dislikes
- The Thousand Year Change After seeing what happened when she accidently changed her friends destinies, Twilight is curious about about the 'what if'. Like, for example, what if Luna had ponies a thousand years ago who noticed her. 276,260 words · 11,386 views · 1,050 likes · 84 dislikes
- My Choices: Twisted Tales Through Time Twilight goes back in time to prevent Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon. 59,659 words · 13,592 views · 1,090 likes · 13 dislikes
- The Wheel and the Butterfly A Dan X Pinkie Pie Saga Pinkie Pie finds herself adjusting to a new, hostile world, with a new hostile friend. Can they make it through this new misadventure together, or is it the universe that needs to watch out for them? 699,941 words · 18,346 views · 1,902 likes · 81 dislikes
- Vamponies (and other supernatural creatures)
- The Optimalverse
- Human in Equestria
- The Lunaverse
- The Hero... Nightmare Moon?
- The Hero... Queen Chrysalis???
- Changelings Need Love Too
- Bronies in Equestria
- Into the Black
- Luna Is The Best Pony
- The New Lunar Republic
- Night Guards/Lunar Guards
- The Hero... Discord?!?
- Time Travel
- Humans enslaved by Ponies
- Equestrian Vampirism
- Grimdark Tails
- Equestria Girls Fics
- Equestria Girls
- Humans Are Bastards
- Bat ponies and Thestrals; stories of the night.
- Flutterbat's Cave
- Your Human and You-verse
- The Hero... Sunset Shimmer???
- In love with the Night
- Global Politics is Magic
- Ponies Eating Tasty Animals
- The Hero... King Sombra?
- Seattle's Angels
- Badass Twilight = Total Domination
- Incest is Wincest!
- Human Harems
- Bat Ponies Are Best Ponies
- The Conversion Bureau
- Ponies aren't Monsters
- My Little Yandere
- The Hero... Prince Blueblood?!
- Moonlight Raven
- Maud Pie
MLP Fanon Project
So, a few weeks back I was talking with a family member about the expanded universe that is MLP fanon and to my shame all I could come up with was sexual shit. I figure that's 'cause we're a freaky bunch. So I started keeping a list and I'd update it as I came across commonalities in various stories or MLP tropes that I'd forgotten about. The following is that list coupled with a rating system. Do you guys think it's accurate? What have I missed? What probably doesn't belong?
MLP Fanon. Number of asterisks denote frequency and readiness of average fan to accept stated item as truth. Rating of one to five. "Underlined" asterisks are actually struck through. These exist if, on the rare occasion I edit this, I feel a facet of fanon as become less accepted.
Words in parentheses are my own thoughts on subjects and do not reflect on the fanon as a whole unless otherwise stated. Words in brackets are notes on canon.
Wings and Horns as erogenous zones. ****
Wings stiffening in response to arousal. AKA "Wingboner". Occurs in all pegasi, regardless of gender.***** Sometimes occurs with other winged sapient creatures, e.g., Griffins.****
Socks are solely erotic wear. *****
Dragons have dual phalli.****
Polygamy. AKA Herding. One or two stallions coupled with between two to ten mares. This and the above partially the result of an extremely low stallion birth rate.***
Mares often enter a period of estrus. Commonly known as "heat". During this period their libido skyrockets, often to mind clouding single mindedness, and they become fertile. The time between cycles and length of cycles themselves, however, have not been cemented and tend to change from fic to fic.****
Homosexuality and other sexualities that run the spectrum are widely accepted. Though there are still the occasional detractors. Lesbian ponies are referred to as "fillyfoolers". Gay stallions "coltcuddlers". ***
Wing blades - Pegasus weapon. A blade worn on both wingtips. Considered excessive and highly lethal.**
Thestrals AKA "Bat Ponies". Pegasi with mammalian, as opposed to avian, wings. Usually sport reptillian/feline eyes. Fangs. [Note: Ponies matching this description do exist in canon. But it is unknown if they are the fifth tribe, another species, or pegasi with a glamour.]*****
Earth pony magic - Passive, Channels throughout body. Strongest in muscles and hooves. Allows for enhanced strength , increased durability, lengthened life span, green hooves, petriculturability. *****
Petriculturability/Geomancy - The ability to farm, grow, and shape rocks and gemstones with innate earth pony magic. [In canon the Pie family owns a rock farm, but for all we know that could be a quarry.]****
Pegasus magic - Passive, Channels in wings and hooves. Allows flight and cloud/weather manipulation.*****
Tribalism - Pony racism.****
Public nudity is accepted, though the act of dressing/undressing is considered highly private.*****
Royal Guard armor enchanted to give each wearer an identical physical appearance.*****
Changelings can detect/taste the full spectrum of emotions. They can eat all positive emotions as well. However, love is always either the most nutritious, delicious, or both. Negative emotions are often harmful to changelings, often being poisonous in nature. (This usually paints Chrysalis as an idiot) ****
Dragons are exceptionally long lived. Often getting to or beyond millennial in years. *****
Griffons are omnivorous.*****
Still Way is the name of the major martial art of the unicorn tribe. *
Gale King is the name of the major martial art of the pegasus tribe. *
Mountain Root is the name of the major martial art of the earth pony tribe. (No stars, only been mentioned once, but it was mentioned in the same story that Gale King originated. This story also helped further the Still Way. For these reasons I place it here despite it's nature as non-fanon. I predict all three martial arts to get at least three stars in the next year.) [I was wrong, now it seems none of these are fanon anymore. Keeping them on the list though because I really like them and wish they were fanon. And to keep a record of my ineptitude.]
Changeling flight is significantly slower, but more far more agile, than pegasus and griffon flight. ****
Changelings have chitin rather than skin and fur. *****
Flutterponies. A tribe of pony with butterfly wings usually considered to be extinct. Often portrayed as the precursor species to Changelings. The Flutterponies having been cursed or changed in a malevolent manner. This event tends to take place before the events of the solar/lunar war. Sometimes even before the Unification.***
Solar/Lunar war. Though it goes by many names. Despite the season 4 opener it's often held firm that Nightmare Moon's ascension and fall was the start and end of an actual conflict between ponies. Lasting anywhere from a few days to a few years. ****